The Toronto Blue Jays were in the thick of the race for the services of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani during major league baseball’s most recent off-season, which is good news according to president Mark Shapiro.
Ultimately, the Japanese chose to sign a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the fact that he seriously considered the Toronto club is an encouraging sign as to how the players perceive the city.
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“It’s great to start with this narrative that free agents won’t sign,” Shapiro said in comments reported by the Toronto Sun on Thursday. To bring [George] Springer, [Kevin] Gausman, [Chris] Bassitt and then [la poursuite de] Ohtani…I mean, nine years ago I was told free agents wouldn’t sign here [à Toronto] and that a premium had to be paid.”
“This is clearly not the case. We had a conversation with the most prominent free agent in modern baseball history and we were one of the few teams he was considering,” the 56-year-old continued.
Moreover, Shapiro never said to himself that the signing of Ohtani was a done deal, but he knew that his team had every chance of signing an agreement with the 29-year-old pitcher.
“As far as excitement goes, there have been times, especially when he was here at this facility [à Dunedin]where you started [croire que] “well, that kind of feeling, it could really happen.”
Ohtani’s arrival would have directly propelled the Blue Jays among the favorites to win the World Series. However, Shapiro still expects his colts to have a better season than last year.
“Last year was an exception and also unlucky,” he said. It’s a confidence in these players and also a belief that there are guys in the core who are going to have much better seasons this year.”
The Blue Jays will begin their regular campaign against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 28.
2024-03-21 21:49:15
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